Freeman Coliseum – The San Antonio Stars needed a spark to get something going. That spark came in a form of a Dan Hughes ejection and it set the tone for the first win of the 2015 season for the silver and black.
Jia Perkins nailed a three-pointer with 24.6 seconds remaining to lift the Stars to a 76-71 win over the Phoenix Mercury in front of 1,738 fans at the Freeman Coliseum on Thursday night.
Perkins finished with 13 points with nine coming in the final quarter. Sophia Young-Malcolm added 21 points and seven rebounds, while rookie Dearica Hamby pulled down 14 rebounds for San Antonio.
Danielle Robinson had 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
“I’m just going to say God flicked it in for me,” Perkins said of her game-winner. “I’m proud of how we rallied together in a tight game. We needed a win, we played desperate and it showed.”
Hughes was ejected from the game in the first quarter after arguing with officials and got two technical fouls. Assistant coach Vickie Johnson took over the coaching duties for the rest of the game.
“It was good for us to start the game well and end the game well,” Hughes said. “We’ve been on a path of rebounding better and attacking the paint. It gave us a chance to control the game more.”
DeWanna Bonner finished with 17 points and Leilani Mitchell added 15 for Phoenix (3-4), who will get star center Brittney Griner back as she completes a seven game suspension.
Phoenix started out the game by missing their first ten shots as the Stars raced out to an 11-1 lead. However, the Mercury answered in the third with a 27-16 quarter. However, San Antonio answered back in the final quarter with a 28-17 quarter.
The Stars are now 1-6 on the season and will return to the court on Saturday when they welcome Sue Bird and the 2-6 Seattle Storm to the Freeman Coliseum at 7 p.m.
